Los Angeles history

Matt Weinstock, June 19, 1959

June 19, 2009 | 4:00
pm

Los dos Refritos

When I read
the AP story stating people who eat a lot of tortillas apparently
absorb less strontium 90 from nuclear explosions than other persons, I
knew right off here was a matter crying out for immediate attention.

After all, Los Angeleans possibly consume as many tortillas in one form or another as Mexico City, where Dr. Carlos Graef Fernandez, nuclear scientist, made the statement.

Fortunately, I happen to have friends behind the tortilla curtain.

I checked Alberto Diaz, self-appointed mayor of Belvedere, who has been campaigning vigorously for a National Tortilla Week.

"I have suspected all along that what Dr. Fernandez said was true," he said. "The only fallout we get in Belvedere is when the chili colorado drips out of our tacos." After a reminicent moment he added irrelevantly, ""And after all, what is an enchilada but a bloodshot blintz?"

NEXT I alerted Paul Fierro, fresh from a role in "Never So Few" with Sinatra and Lollobridida. Paul, known as El Bandido
because he has played so many gad guys in TV westerns, was an Indian
Indian in this one: that is, a Hindu with turban. He is also a
connoisseur of Mexican cookery and was not surprised at Senor
Fernandez's statement either.

Recognizing the need for action we jumped into his Volkswagen and made a run for the Nayarit
restaurant on North Spring Street, barely ahead of a lynch mob. There
we prevailed upon the waitress to hustle us a double order of
tortillas, along with somelengua en mole, our favorite, and refritos con queso.

Not
only was our concern over radioactivity gone but when we got outside we
noticed that even the smog had disappeared. Of course, it could have
been the beer.

::

AT ONE TIME or another, coincidence catches up with all of us. Thus, as LaVonne Wood slowed because of an accident at Rosemead and Beverly Blvds.,
she noticed that one of the damaged cars had inscribed on its rear
fender, as is the fad among young drivers, the succinct phrase, "I've
Had It."

::

HIGH NEIGHBOR

They picked out the man to send to the moon,Then wined him and dined him as one honored aloneTill he took on the shape of a banquet balloonAnd floated up to the moon on his own.

--MATTIE RAE

::

THE WAY Bill Larkin tells it a parent became concerned about his young son, an undersize
problem child, and when the boy failed to gain any stature for about a
year, a series of stretching treatments was recommended. The boy was
stretched out on a table and his arms and legs pulled. Some weeks later
a friend inquired if the treatments were doing any good.

"He hasn't grown any," the father said sadly, "but he has confessed to more than 100 crimes."

::

A HOLLYWOOD
hillside couple named George and Marian left yesterday for a tour of
Europe, particularly Italy. In anticipation they took a course in
Italian at UCLA. At departure time, however, it was a moot question
whether they could deal with the natives. What Marian and even the prof
don't know is that George, a sneaky one, has been taking intense
private instruction and can speak fluently. At departure time he could
hardly wait to get to Rome to confound his wife with hissavoir faire.

::

AT RANDOM
-- Between innings at the Dodger game the other night a girl of about
10, sitting with her father, did her school homework ... The VanNuys egg ranch with the driveway signs "Entrance and "Eggsit" missed a bet, argues Tom Cameron. Why not. "Hentrance" ... The credit card frenzy has reached the point that when Martin Ragaway
tried to pay cash for a purchase the other day the man wouldn't take it
until he identified himself. Martin is a comedy writer ... From AdamTruty: "Horse players at least don't die in the gutter like drunkards -- they die clean."